Imaginary Construct
by DD Agent
Summary: Some musings after 1.08 about Gene's imaginary construct status, and what that means for him and Alex. Galex definitely implied.


**Ashes to Ashes, Imaginary Construct by DD Agent**

I had in mind a completely different fic based on the events of 1.07. However, after watching the final episode, this came out of the keyboard.

Set about an hour and a half after 1.08 finished.

Spoilers up to and including 1.08

Pairings is Galex all the way

Rating for language and content.

Hope you enjoy x

**XxX**

Alex was upstairs looking at her makeshift calendar. She hadn't been able to save her parents, but the truth that she had been looking for most of her life had come out in the end. Her father, the man who used to read her _Narnia_ stories, had put a bomb attached to the cassette player in the car. If she hadn't been chasing her balloon, then she would have died in the car along with her parents. Molly wouldn't exist, and her life back in 2008 would be a fantastical dream.

Was it the fact that her father had tried to kill her that was keeping her awake? That he was the clown that had been stalking her since she had arrived in 1981? No. It wasn't even her relationship with Evan, the man her father considered a worm that had split their family apart. The revelation that Gene Hunt had held her hand, took care of her that day had driven any other thoughts from her mind.

Ever since she had arrived, she had been sure of one thing. Gene, Chris, Ray, Shaz, and the rest were all imaginary constructs, something that her damaged mind had created. They had all seemed to take her bizarre attitude to them and their situation in their stride, and Alex had always thought that was because they somehow knew they weren't real.

But Gene was.

He would be in his late sixties back in 2008. When she returned to Molly, would she go and find him? Could she find him? Would he know who she was? Would she even recognise him? That image had burned into her brain, the sight of Gene holding her hand as a young child. He was real, as real as she was. It didn't make any sense. Sam had been in a coma, he hadn't been able to affect the world around him, and none of the other players in their little drama had been real in his timeline.

Wait.

Alex went over to the cabinet in the living room. Underneath the weeks old newspapers and the bottles of wine that Luigi had given her was the notebook. After she had made her chart, Alex had written down anything and everything that she could remember about Sam Tyler's case. She needed to remember, just in case something occurred in her fantasy that had happened in his.

Annie.

He had mentioned her a few times in their sessions. In the tapes that he had left, Sam had said that she had been involved in his father's disappearance. But there had to be a logical explanation for that. Maybe he had substituted her face for another police officer. That was it; Sam had placed Annie's face in front of him so he could properly understand the darkness in his father. She had done the same thing with Gene. He had been there in her fantasy, and she had put his face to the hand instead of the random stranger that had helped her after the explosion.

No.

She had been close to Gene. She had felt his heart, leant against his chest in nothing but a brassiere, woken up after being rescued from two maniac restaurateurs to find his lips mere inches from hers. Alex knew Gene's touch. He had held her hand that day; had carried her to CID and made sure she was safe with the others. The Gene Genie had taken care of her. There was no mistaking his touch.

Her head hurt.

Looking out the window onto the street below, she saw a group of Yuppies enter Luigi's. She had had her fill of them, and the way she felt at the moment Alex didn't want to be surrounded by arrogant twats. Plus _he_ would be down there, and her confused head didn't need the 'Manc Lion's' interference. But she needed to get out of her flat, out into the air, back to a place where she knew she felt safe.

Back to work then.

**XxX**

Gene was by the bar. He reckoned he had spent about seventy five percent of his life in front of a bar of some sort, whether it be Nelson's back in Manchester or Luigi's now in London. Either way, he considered it a place of sanctuary, a place of peace and a place where he could contemplate on what had happened during the day.

That was until a bunch of Yuppies came in and disturbed the peace. Shaz and Chris were in a corner with a bottle of wine between them, and the rest of CID were drinking up the place and shouting loudly. Luigi looked as if he was about to commit a murder. The way some of his detectives were acting, Gene was going to turn a blind eye if the Italian decided to take the law into his own hands.

Sighing, Gene ordered another beer. Ever since _she _had arrived, his life had been turned upside down. The last incident with the Price's had been the final nail in the coffin, which sadly had turned out to be theirs. He had had his issues with the lawyers, but how could a man such as Tim Price commit suicide, murder his wife, and nearly do the same to his daughter. He couldn't understand it.

Evan.

He could just about now. Tim Price had done it due to that lecherous little worm Evan White. Although he was a suicidal idiot (Gene didn't mind speaking ill of the very dead and very stupid), Gene could understand why he had done it. He had loved a woman very deeply, and she had betrayed him with that cocky bastard. Gene didn't think he could ever do that with his previous missus, although to be honest he was a husband more in name than anything else. He didn't think that anyone could make drive him to that.

Alex.

Well, her, possibly, but just the suicide part. Her arrival had made Gene drink more; consider taking any number of pills and locking himself in the cells. But something about her brought a smile to his face, and an ache in his heart that he had never felt before. Libido, he reckoned. She was a fit bird, nice tits after all. Nothing more than a healthy dose of lust for the Gene Genie.

But.

He had lusted after many women in his time, both before and after the divorce. None of them had ever hit him in the same way that Alex Drake had, but that wasn't unusual. She was beautiful and annoying at the same time, a combination that Gene found it hard to resist. If any other DI had pulled that same stunt like she had the past two days, he would have had them out of CID so fast their heads would spin. So why did she get under his skin so badly?

Love.

Gene scoffed at that. The 'Manc Lion' didn't fall in love, especially with posh tarts that had more mouth than a prossie specialising in blowjobs. But would he have shot through a window to save any of the other women he fancied? Would he have picked them up and tried to save their lives, would he have done the same for Chris or Ray for that matter? Why would he dream about her every night in scenarios that didn't always involve sex if there wasn't some feeling involved?

His head hurt.

The Yuppies and his staff had gotten louder. Luigi looked on the verge of a breakdown, but at a quick glimpse of Shaz and Chris together a smile made his way on the Italian's face. He needed to get out, somewhere where the air wasn't filled with alcohol fumes and rowdy punters. Where he could think and prepare for what the day would bring. Home wasn't an option. Going upstairs to Bolly didn't even make the shortlist.

Back to work then.

**XxX**

When she had arrived at the office, it was empty and dark. Switching the lights on had made the place feel even more echoic. It felt cold somehow, like all the life had been drained from the place. Alex thought the clown had left her head, now that her father was gone from this world. Well, she hoped at least, the clown had been driving her insane.

Alex was alone for all of fifteen minutes until Gene Hunt came through the doors. He gave her a quick nod and moved into his office. She didn't think she was imagining it, but as he walked through Alex was sure that the room had gotten warmer. His presence made the room bearable, and she thanked him for it.

Gene wasn't quite sure why she was here, but it was probably similar to why he was. Today had been a hard day, especially on her. Sitting at his desk, Gene sighed as he remembered Alex screaming in the middle of the road. She had been a friend of the Prices, especially Caroline. She had a little girl too like them; it must have been hard to see little Alex Price all alone with only Evan for comfort.

"Y'all right Bols?" Gene asked, seeing his DI in the doorway. She was a little strange; Drake seemed to have gotten into her head that they were all stuck in it with her. Privately, Gene didn't mind, he was used to it. That sort of rubbish had been like a mantra to Tyler, and her ramblings just reminded him of an old friend he would have liked to bring to London. Maybe it was a Hyde thing, believing that everything was inside their heads.

"Are you real Gene?" Alex didn't know why she asked; she only knew why she had come in here. The office was warm and comforting, like his presence. Like his embrace.

"I like to think so Drake. And yourself?"

"Very much so."

He thought that was going to be the end of their conversation, but Alex had moved over to his desk. She had been crying, Gene could see a slight redness underneath her eyes. A pain ripped through his heart. He couldn't bear to see women cry, and he couldn't stand to see this particular one in any pain (other than what he caused). But all thoughts about her crying was put to rest as she sat mere inches from him on her desk. Too damn close for his libido to handle.

"Earlier you told little Alex Price that if she had any problems she was to call the Gene Genie."

"I did indeed."

"I was wondering if you would be able to help big Alex Drake with the problem she was having," her tone did nothing to help the thoughts that were running through his head. Gene had to sit right underneath his desk so his hardness wouldn't be obvious to the seductive Detective Inspector.

Gene noted that Alex had taken off her jacket, and began to feel the heat rising. He could see she was wearing the red bra again. "Depends on what problem it is Bols."

She didn't know why she was in his office, asking him to seduce her and take her but she knew that she wanted it. Wanted him. Alex wanted to feel his embrace, wanted to feel safe like she had done that day long ago with him.

"I need someone to…you know what, never mind," Alex felt disappointed in herself. She had been that close to getting the comfort she needed, but she had faltered at the last hurdle. Gene had deflated at her reply, hoping for some smutty remark that would have led them to having sex on his desk. But it was not to be. Shame.

Looking on her face, Gene realised that although his DI wanted to go through with it, it would be more out of comfort than out of genuine desire. Finally able to come out from his desk, he grabbed his coat and made his way to Alex. He walked up to her, so close to her that he could feel her warmth. She was sitting on his desk, legs slightly apart. Moving his own between them, he pushed them open and rested both hands either side of her thighs. Leaning in close to her skin, he could hear the soft moan that had escaped her lips.

"Any time you have a problem Detective Inspector, don't hesitate to ask the Gene Genie," he replied, ticking her skin and drawing a frustrated groan from Drake's lips. He left CID without looking back, knowing that his actions would come back to bite him later. Tonight still left the whole 'feelings' issue unresolved. Somehow he knew that a good nights sleep wouldn't be on the cards.

Back in Gene's office, Alex sat absolutely mortified. She had practically thrown herself at him, and he had in turn rejected her. Well not rejected, but he didn't take her up on her offer. _Damn him_, she thought. But maybe something had registered in that thick skull of his; tonight she needed comfort more than she needed mind-blowing sex. She began to laugh at the absurdity of her situation: she genuinely wanted the Gene Hunt. By what happened tonight, it was clear that he definitely wanted her too.

Imaginary construct indeed.


End file.
